In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Luke 15.11-32
The Lord said this parable: “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”
What does it mean when the younger son in this parable asks his father for ‘the share of the property’ which falls to him? He is asking for his inheritance while his father is still alive; or, to put it another way, he wishes to behave as if his father is dead, for that is the time when a son inherits, not when his father is still living. And then, to compound his offence, he gathers together the wealth given to him by his father almost at once and heads off to a far away place. It is not enough for him to have the money, he wants to get as far away from his father as he can.
This is a shocking way for any son to behave towards his father, I am sure most will agree. But then we must remember who the Church Fathers tell us who the father in this parable represents – God himself. Therefore, the son in this passage behaves as someone who takes all the good things of this life that God has to offer and then turns his back on Him, rejects Him completely, and then tries to distance himself from Him. One cannot, of course, run from God, as the Fathers remind us. God is everywhere. There is no where to run from Him. Jonah discovered this when he tried to run from God so that he would not have to obey His command to warn the people of Nineveh of what their fate would be if they continued in their wickedness. But the fact that God is everywhere does not prevent people from attempting to live as if He is nowhere, something that is sadly all too evident in the world around us.
We may wonder why it is that the father in the parable gives his son his share of the property; after all, he must know that this matter will end badly for his son. It does not take the wisdom of Solomon to foresee what the son is going to do with this wealth. But we must recall how God treats us. He gives us free will and then respects that free will. Do we not all abuse that freedom by endlessly making decisions that are bad, not only for us but those around us? However, God made us in His image and likeness, which means he has no intention of treating us like puppets, unable to act as we decide to. Free will allows us to freely turn to God with love and obedience, giving glory to Him for all He has given us and continues to give us; but it also allows us to reject Him.
It may occur to some to compare what happens to the prodigal son after he has wasted all his money with those they see in the world around them today. The prodigal, having spent all his money, finds himself without friends, starving, and barely surviving doing a job that our Lord’s Jewish audience would have seen as being the lowest of the low, herding pigs. How far this foolish young man has fallen. But we see many people around us who reject God and seem to suffer no harm. Some reject God explicitly, saying openly they do not believe in Him or even if He does exist that they want nothing to do with Him. Others reject Him by their actions. They may say they believe and call themselves Christians, but the way that they live shows no evidence of their declaration of faith. Whichever they may be, we see so many like them going to their graves rich, fat, and happy. No poverty, hunger, or disgrace for them.
Or is there not? Our lives do not end with the grave. Death is not a descent into nothingness but a transition into eternal life. This means that there is no essential difference between the prodigal son, penniless, hungry, and living in filth, and the man with millions in the bank and living in a fine mansion who lives as if there is no God. Both are on the cusp of total destruction. Both must come to their senses if they are to be saved. The only hope for each is to repent, understanding how terrible are his sins, and return humbly his Father, seeking His forgiveness, begging for it, not demanding it.
And see what hope Christ offers to those who will repent. The father runs to meet the son who rejected him and celebrates his return. This is how God will greet every sinner who truly repents. This is how God will treat us if humble ourselves before Him. Amen.
The Holy Orthodox Order of St George the Great Martyr works tirelessly to help those in need. We focus particularly on our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the Holy Land and those who suffer because of their Christian faith. However, we strive to help all in need. Funds are desperately needed at this time to help those facing the horrors of war in Gaza and Lebanon. Please help if you can by making a donation to the Order. And please keep all those who suffer in your prayers. Thank you and may God bless you.
